Friday, July 16, 2010

Brosnan to star in Double Lives in China this September

The Chinese-American co-production for "Double Lives" held a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, CFP.cn reports.

The film's budget is over 100 million US dollars and stars Pierce Brosnan, American actress Brit Morgan, and actor Billy Zane. The director, Rob Cohen, collaborated with Jet Li in "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" in 2008 which was also a Chinese-American co-production.

The director attended the conference, along with stars Zane and Morgan. Although Brosnan was absent, he sent an email apologizing and promised that he will definitely take part in the filming this September.

Cohen expressed his curiosity and favor for China at the conference, and he highly acknowledged the achievements of past Chinese directors. His first impressions of China came from the films of Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and John Woo, all of which helped him learn about China and then later inspired him to make films here. Besides "The Mummy 3," Chinese audiences are familiar with his previous projects such as "The Fast and the Furious" and "XXX."

He also said he will add Chinese elements to this film, including using a few Chinese actors and actresses. However, the production company has not given any details

Billy Zane was in the 1997 film "Titanic," where he played Rose's fiancé Caledon 'Cal' Hockley. He revealed that "Double Lives" is a story about a treasure hunt while police from China and America work together to track down an international criminal. The actor said the film had comedic elements similar to Jim Carrey's style.

It is reported the cast crew will visit some outdoor lots in Beijing, Hangzhou and Hengdian, preparing for the film's shooting.

Cohen also told the media that he is planning another film called "Kung Fu," and he has already contacted Jet Li. The Kung Fu star said he would be glad to participate in the film if invited.